The Orange Tower
The Orange Tower is the second-lowest tower, and it's patron god is Acitas, the god of competition and victory. It has 39 inhabitable rings, several of which are nothing but enormous stadiums suitable for all kinds of sporting events. Orange citizens have a very strong sense of pride and confidence, probably born of their tireless dedication to competition. Orange citizens almost always enjoy a good game of skill or debate, moreover they always believe they can win. This makes them fun additions to most groups, but many merchants groan inwardly when they see an Orange band. This isn't to say that all Orange citizens are arrogant jerks. Some are, to be sure, but that's true in every tower. What it is with the Orange Tower is the appreciation for the challenge, though this is boardly speaking only in regards to the physical challenges rather than the mental or spiritual. There are pockets in the Orange Tower that have expanded this philosophy to other areas, but they're not the cultural majority. People take a lot of pride in their homes and neighborhoods here, and there are unofficial "competitions" of sorts for the nicest neighborhoods. This means that a lot of the original design for the city has changed, but not in a widely controlled way. Different neighborhoods have picked up different aesthetics, and walking through a very dedicated cluster of Orange neighborhoods can be like walking through a patchwork quilt. Nicknames Nicknames are almost as ubiquitous in the Orange Tower as they are in the Red, but they're not taken quite as seriously. Nicknames still can and do fluctuate throughout one's lifetime, but if there's a period of time in which someone doesn't have or use a nickname, this isn't blazingly weird. Given names are shared more often and with less meaning or compunction behind the sharing, even if nicknames are most commonly used. Crime The Orange Tower has a fair bit of crime, but it tends to be cat-burglars, snatch-and-grabs, pickpockets, and the like rather than the gangland thuggery so often seen in the Red or the classier, white-collar breed that starts showing up in the Yellow. This is in large part because the guards are much more active in the Orange Tower than they are below it, but not quite so vigilant as they are above. The athletic appreciation and competitive nature of the Orange culture also has something to do with it. If you can outrun someone, or break into their house while they sleep, or pick their pocket, you're somehow proving your superiority in the game of life and that's good. Ganging up on people is surprisingly less common than you would expect, especially given that there ''are ''gangs here. Commerce The Orange Tower draws a tremendous amount of traffic due to all the sporting events it hosts. Nowhere else in Camora are there arenas or stadiums quite like these, and Orange merchants make a killing selling sporting goods and team merchandise. There's fierce competition between Orange merchants for the honour of working with the most popular teams and athletes, but the trade is lively. The Orange Tower is the best connected low tower, making trade easy. The Orange Tower has a real specialty in iron- and leather-works, and they do a lot of import and export. Acitas' Gauntlet This is the most famous gladiatorial arena in Camora, and easily the oldest as well. It's on the 24th ring, making it one of the lowest famous stadiums, and holds daily fights and contests. It's considered the best place to start to make a name, and many young street toughs from all over Camora gather here to prove their strength. Appearance The Orange Tower phenotype isn't dissimilar from the Red Tower's, though there are some differences. The enromous popularity of Acitas and his associated colours (reds, oranges, yellows, and their metallic counterparts), has meant that there's been a slight favouritism towards fiery colourations. Bright coppers, shiny bronzes, flame reds, and medium golds are the most common hair and eye colours here - it's considered good luck if the hair and eyes are the same colour. Skin is generally pale with occasional bronze hues. Fashion If you've got it, flaunt it! Orange tower fashions are often designed more to show off one's musculuture than to be warm, causing several of the other lower towers to see them as a bit haughty. The Orange Tower definitely isn't warm enough to justify some of what they wear, but the citizens here don't care. The "tough it out" mentality is pervasive, and when combined with the pride and emphasis on physicality, of course they would rather show it off than be as comfortable as possible. What they do wear is often made of heavy materials such as wools or skins, but they have found ways to wear it that don't cover much. Cutouts are popular, backless robes or tunics are always in, open vests are favoured by many men, cloth bindings are worn by many women, and knit clothing with a knit loose enough to see through is extremely popular as a compromise between comfort and peacocking. Headbands and other hair fascinators are very popular here, and usually come in blues, greens, or purples that stand out fabulously against the Orange Tower reds, yellows, and oranges. NOTE: '''Neither '''the skimpyness '''nor '''the skininess is what creates the attraction here - it's the athleticism, the fitness, that Orange citizens so prize in themselves and others. Being skinny is often considered a real downside, actually, as it means you don't have much going on under the hood.